Monday, August 31, 2015

He’s
a rugged outdoorsman, she’s a California princess out to prove she can make it
on her own.

Fans of contemporary romance are sure to love debut author, Rebecca
Thomas’, sensual story where opposites attract in HER ALASKAN HERO.

After
being left at the altar, California girl Sabrina Tate needs to make a fast
getaway. With her famous overbearing parents and the paparazzi hot on her heels,
where else is a jilted bride to go to lick her wounds but Alaska? With only her
tropical honeymoon clothes in tow, she makes her escape. For two weeks, she’ll
live on her own and prove to herself—and her family—that she can make it
without a husband.

Zak
Forrester is a man on a mission. He’s turned his rugged yet luxurious Alaskan
lodge into a hotspot for hunters, all in the hope to make up for a painful
event in his past. But when Sabrina—one of the rare women to enter his rugged
realm—stumbles into his world, he can’t get rid of her fast enough. He has no
time for her yoga, vegetarian meal requests, or Scrabble.

Soon,
neither can resist the other, and two hearts collide. With time ticking away,
they have to decide where they belong. Is a life in a different world better
than being a world apart?

Both Sabrina and Zak are likable characters and had me rooting for them shortly after they met. A fun and quick romance, with them only spending a few days together before falling in love. It's well written and the setting is perfect. I've always enjoyed romances set in Alaska, there is something about the isolation that seems to add a little more romance to the story. Can't wait for Zak's brothers to find their other halves!

I received an ARC for the purpose of an honest review. I was not compensated for this review, all conclusions are my own.

Why Alaska as a setting?

I wrote several historical
manuscripts before I went with contemporary and honestly one of the reasons I
chose Alaska as a setting is because it’s what I know. I live here. I felt
bogged down with research for my historical stories and I thought writing a
contemporary story would be “easier.” (insert eye roll here)

Nothing is further from
the truth. Nothing about writing is easy, but at least I don’t have to do
research for Alaska. When I first sent my manuscript to one of my critique
partners, she was quick to respond with how she liked all the Alaskan details I
had added. I didn’t even realize I’d added “Alaskan details” because those
details are so intrinsic to my everyday life. So when you hear the saying
“write what you know,” there is some truth to it—you don’t have to do research!

Writing fiction is such a
competitive market. I think you have to ask yourself, how can I be different?
How can I stand out from the rest? I’ve lived in Alaska my entire life and for various
reasons people are really interested in Alaska, so I decided to tap into that.

Rebecca Thomas enjoys a love-hate
relationship with Alaska. She lives there with her bush pilot husband and two
teenaged sons. When she isn’t reading, writing, or playing board games, she is
cheering for her sons at their hockey games and tennis matches.

A reluctant reader as a child, she didn’t become interested in books
until her teen years when she discovered historical romance. Now she loves all
sub-genres of romance and can’t decide which one is her favorite.

Rebecca earned a bachelor’s degree in Education from the University of
Alaska and was employed in the airline industry for several years before
working in her current position as a program manager in higher education.